Just a day after President Donald Trump suggested openness to mild gun control measures like red flag laws and background checks, NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre nipped that instinct in the bud, calling Trump to convince him that those policies would not sit well with his base.
According to the Washington Post, Trump has been calling around to senators like Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) who have written gun control legislation, to ask questions about political viability.
He has also reportedly asked his aides about the power of the NRA right now, as it fends off external threats and contends with internal schisms.
It’s not the first time Trump has talked gun control after a massacre — he usually likes the idea of putting some restrictions in place in the immediate aftermath of the shootings, and this time has already floated a Rose Garden bill signing. But in times past, opposition from Republicans and the NRA, along with fears of alienating his base, has been enough to stymy his interest.
